TRUCE REJECTED BY SYRIA AND IRAQ: JEWS’ THREAT TO ACT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22694, 20 July 1948, Page 5

TRUCE REJECTED BY SYRIA AND IRAQ: JEWS’ THREAT TO ACT

(N.Z.P.A.—Reuter—^opyrlght.) (10.30 a.m.) LONDON, July 19. The Iraqi and Syrian Governments have rejected the cease-fire and truce for Palestine.

An official statement issued in Baghdad today said that the Arab League political committee accepted the cease-fire by majority votes. The Iraqi and Syrian Governments opposed the decision and rejected the truce, while the Saudi-Arabian, Egyptian, Transjordan, .Lebanon and Yemen Governments accepted it.

-'■l- The British United Press correspondent in Damascus says that Syrian public opinion overwhelmingly favours a continuation of the 'Palestine struggle. The youth organisation in Damascus, Homs and Hama staged large-scale protests against the Arab States’ acceptance of the truce.

In Haifa today, the Israeli spokesman said the Israeli Army would consider itself at liberty to attack the Syrian Army wherever it was. Tire Haganah Command had decided not to cease fighting until the Syrians were repulsed.

The spokesman’s statement followed an alleged serious breach of the truce by the Syrians near the Syrian border in upper Galilee.

Britain and America Attacked

The Cairo newspaper A 1 Ahram, in an editorial today, said the cease-fire in Palestine was only a stage in the long struggle during which the Zionists would suffer more than they had already suffered.

Another newspaper A 1 Misra declared that the Arabs accepted the cease-fire under British and American pressure. Britain and America had won the enmity of the Arabs.

The Egyptian Foreign Office spokesman said that Britain and the United States suspended trade talks with Egypt and added: “Probably the motive in both cases is pressure on Egypt in connection with the Palestine question.” „ Accepted Under Pressure King Abdullah of Transjordan, in announcing the Arabs’ accep't.ne of the Truce in Amman, said: “A truce has again been decided upon under pressure from the United Nations Security Council while the case is still pending.” King Abdullah said the Transjordan Army stood firm in the positions it held during the first and second truce. Reuter’s correspondent in Amman says the Arab Legion reported that two British Cromwell tanks, which the Jews, during the June truce stole from Haifa airfield, were used by Jewish mechanised forces yesterday in an attempt to break an Arab roadblock in the Latrun area.

The Arab Legion declared that the Jews, in last-minute fighting before the truce, lost 287 men in attempts to break the Latrun roadblocks on the Jerusalem-Tei Aviv highway. It is officially stated in Tel Aviv that the Israeli High Command had ordered its forces throughout Palestine to stop fighting at 3 p.m. G.M.T. on Sunday, but to resume fighting if the Arabs continued to fight. King Abdullah, in announcing the Arab states’ acceptance of the truce sai-J that negotiations need not be unduly hurried but should be carried out carefully and thoughtfully. Both Transjordan and Egypt have notified Count Bernadotte’s headquarters at Rhodes that they have accepted the United Nations order. Count' Bernadotte, who has arrived at Rome en route to Rhodes, expressed pleasure at acceptance. He said it strengthened the Security Council’s prestige. He would spend two or three days on Rhodes arranging a truce observation system and then resume negotiations with the Arabs and Jews. Reuters correspondent in Amman auotes an Arab Legion announcement that violent battles were raging in Jerusalem after Jewish violations of the cease-fire early today. The legion was repulsing Jewish attacks and inflicting heavy losses, added the announcement. The Jewish radio in Jerusalem earlier alleged- that the Arabs violated the truce.

Orders have been issued to all Arab forces in Palestine to cease fire at 3 p-m. G.M.T. on Sunday, says the British' United Press correspondent at Alei, Lebanon, where the Arab States’ leaders are meeting. Azzam Pasha, Secretary-General of the Arab League, sent a cable to the United Nations saying that while the Arabs accepted the cease-fire in Palestine they would fully agree to the truce only on three conditions: 1. Complete cessation of Jewish immigration pending United Nations’ attemps to solve the Palestine problem. 2. Three hundred thousand Arabs who are refugees must be allowed to return home.

3 The period of the truce must be fixed.